Slight mold smell in 5er ???

[ilvtravln]

We live in No Calif which has had a lot of rain in Dec. and January is starting out the same way, wife noticed slight mold smell in 5er, there are no leaks and no sign of water in the rig, would it help to turn on the heat to try and get rid of the smell, if so for how long? I would like to air out the rig for a few days but rarely any sun. Any other ideas ? Thanks

[way2roll]

If you smell mold, you have mold, more than you think. And mold is typically indicative of a leak somewhere. And more humidity and less air moving in a contained space provides an environment for it to proliferate. Mold requires 3 things, water, food and air. To remediate you need to correct/change the conditions - fixing a leak and lowering humidity, as well as removal of the infected areas where mold growth has occurred. If there are no cold-condensing surfaces and the relative humidity is maintained below 60 percent, there will not be enough water in materials for mold to grow. Topical treatments for mold (bleach, cleaners, etc) really don't work to kill the roots and it almost always comes back if conditions persist. Removal without changing conditions will also allow it to come back.

In a previous MH a leak developed behind a tail light. The water got between the fiberglass and the lauan and started to grown mold inside of a compartment. The compartment was below the bed and things started to smell. It took a great deal of work to remediate that and it was just a small problem.

[bgiroux]

Look at the insulation under your shower, bathroom sink and kitchen sink. If there is a small leak in your water supply or drains, the moisture may have been soaked up by your insulation and mould may have formed there. Our issue was under the shower in the undercarriage after a drain pipe had cracked. Good luck.

[MitchF150]

How are you storing it? Or is it in use at this time?

I'm in WA State, so it's a bit wet up here.. 🙂

I store my rig with an Adco cover on it and leave the vents cracked just a tad.

I also keep a couple of driz-aire things in the rig and check them about every couple of weeks and they always have that gooey liquid in them and I refill and repeat.

Never any moisture or mold in the rig.

While in use, it'll get some condensation on the windows, but I still do keep the vents open a tad even if I need to run the heater.

Key is letting the moist air out as much as you can.

Or you have a leak that is not an obvious one... 🙂

Good luck! Mitch

[Lantley]

I can smell a leak in my rig. When I get that smell I look for the culprit and typically I can find the source.
Sometimes just a wet dish cloth or a towel left in the shower. But occasionally it will lead to a bad caulk joint. Don't ignore that smell find out why?

[midnightsadie]

could be a dead mouse?

[Cummins12V98]

I used to place a home de humidifier in the shower of my RV during winter with the grey tank valve open when it was being stored.

[MFL]

Using the RV furnace would help to remove some moisture, but may return again after a day or two of no heat. Using a dehumidifier would be a big help, if that is an option for you.

Can't say always, but many times, if you can smell actual mold, it is there somewhere. Could be where you can't see it, and hard to access to get rid of it.

Jerry